24998 - Commissioning Manager - Direct Services
Overview:
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has a statutory responsibility to commission legal aid services from a range of providers and to ensure that Legal Aid funding for the public is directed towards strategic priorities and secured in a way that aims to deliver value for money. The Central Commissioning Team is part of the Commissioning and Strategy Directorate of the LAA and is responsible for ensuring the effective procurement of these services within the current public sector legislation.
The commissioning cycle currently involves a policy being set by the MoJ and, once agreed with Ministers, being handed over to the LAA. The Central Commissioning team develops the tender process for what is to be commissioned, and then a procurement process is undertaken. Following implementation of the contracts, the Central Commissioning team monitors the availability and capacity of legal aid services.
The purpose of this role is to lead tender activities in the commissioning of Direct Services contracts, i.e. contracts facilitating and delivering legal aid to the public via the telephone or digitally; and support the management and development of LAA commercial contracts.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading tender activities for telephone Legal Aid services and ensure deliverables meet targets for access and customer needs within the constraints of budget and organisational policy
- Undertake commercial contract reviews and actions arising from them
- Agree clear specification of tenders, meeting the operational needs of the organisation and facilitating effective contract management
- Deliver tender activity to agreed timetables
- Key deliverables for 2019/20 is the removal of the mandatory element of the CLA gateway arising from the PIR of LASPO and the procurement of new contracts to conduct peer review of face to face legal advice.
- Support the management of the commercial relationship with MoJ Commercial and Contract Management Directorate (CCMD)
- Undertake line management responsibilities as necessitated by the role
Skills & Qualifications:
You will be expected to evidence the following:
Essential
- Up to date understanding of the LAA’s duties under procurement regulations and their application to the tender processes
- Developing workable solutions to complex issues
- Analytical skills and attention to detail
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Influencing skills
- Ability to work to tight deadlines and respond to change
- Understanding of the commissioning process
Desirable
- Experience of running tender processes and using eTendering systems as a mechanism for this
- Project management experience
- Wider business and/or commercial contracts experience
- Understanding of the principles and practice of contract
- Experience of managing a team/line management experience
- Experience of commercial negotiations
You will be required to provide evidence of the following Behaviours at Level 3 (SEO/HEO or equivalent)
Making Effective Decisions:
- Use a wide range of sources of information to develop options to be considered for recommendation
- Present decisions made backed by relevant and persuasive evidence and defend decisions robustly
- Use effective delegation to share responsibilities within the team
Communicating and Influencing:
- Use a wide range of communication methods to get across the information required
- Use a variety of methods to check understanding with the audience
- Communications are respectful, particularly to external audiences
Working Together:
- Establish a collaborative network across all teams to deliver required objectives in a timely manner
- Maintain own and teams’ wellbeing and balance throughout programmes and projects
- Actively seek input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives
Delivering at Pace:
- Develop detailed plans reflecting the tasks, milestones and resources required to deliver the required outcome on time and to standard
- Rapidly react to conflicting priorities and demands to accommodate change in plans to bring delivery back on track
Managing a Quality Service:
- Identify risks and potential issues and prepare and implement solutions as required
- Review quality of delivery at all stages and ensure that it meets expectations
- Build an effective internal and external feedback process to identify any changes that may be required
Working Arrangements & Further Information
Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year, and rising as your service increases. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as salary sacrifice arrangements for childcare vouchers, and voluntary benefits such as retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.
There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Eligibility
Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.
29/03/2019, 23:55 hours.
To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why.
For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).
If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:
- You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
- You were studying abroad
- You were living overseas with parents
In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.
Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.
We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.
Application form stage assessments
Interview stage assessments
A Great Place to Work for Veterans
The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
· UK nationals
· nationals of the Republic of Ireland
· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
This Vacancy is closed to applications.